Deck 12: Culture

Question 1

In what way is culture motivational?

A) Helps to establish and meet goals at the individual and organizational levels
B) Establishes acceptable standards and behavior
C) Provides a shared identity and fulfills a need for belonging
D) Helps in understanding what to expect at first

Answer 1

C
Explanation:C) Being part of a group isn't the same as being part of a culture that shares an identity, and this social factor provides motivation for people to seek and uphold their culture.

Question 2

If you want to know what a culture is really like, what should you examine?

A) Behavioral artifacts
B) Physical artifacts
C) Espoused values
D) Basic assumptions

Answer 2

D
Explanation:D) Although the basic assumptions of an organization are hard to see, they are the most representative of the organization's culture and are hard to change. An organization can quickly change artifacts and say whatever they want, but the basic assumptions are least resistant to change. Thus, basic assumptions would provide the most information about a culture, assuming you can obtain the information you need to do your analysis.

Question 3

How does an organization maintain consistent values and beliefs over time?

A) Retaining a small workforce of 20 or fewer employees
B) Effective socialization
C) Rewarding employees who maintain consistent values and beliefs
D) Utilizing a role model or mentor program

Answer 3

B
Explanation:B) Effective socialization will be the best way that an organization's core values and beliefs are consistent over time. The socialization process consists of four distinct stages, and each stage contributes to transmitting core values and beliefs successfully from employee to employee.

Question 4

Which of Hofstede's cultural dimensions has the biggest impact on values and beliefs?

A) Power distance
B) Individualism vs. collectivism
C) Uncertainty avoidance
D) None of the above

Question 5

While some cultural concepts apply in both national and organizational settings, some don't. In what context should the competing values framework be utilized?

A) National
B) Social
C) Cultural
D) Organizational

Question 6

Which of the following is a verbal artifact?

A) Ceremony
B) Jargon
C) Custom
D) Ritual

Question 7

As an expatriate getting ready for your first assignment, understanding as much as possible about the host country's culture is essential. Why? Provide at least two examples based on different cultural dimensions.

Question 8

Where on the iceberg should you look if you want to know about the day-to-day experience of employees working in that organization's culture?

A) The visible organization
B) Above the water line
C) At the water line
D) Below the water line

Question 9

The competing values framework describes how organizations must choose between different cultural values along two dimensions. What are the two dimensions?

A) External and control
B) Flexibility and internal
C) Control and organizational focus
D) Dominant and secondary

Question 10

Which is true of an organization's culture?

A) It is explicitly stated in the organization's mission statement
B) It is more pronounced in publicly traded companies
C) New employees learn it during their orientation
D) It underlies the values, beliefs, and assumptions that are shared by individuals in an organization

Question 11

What is a best practice when managing a group of subordinates in an individualistic culture?

A) Recognize an individual's effort toward the team project in weekly meetings
B) Recognize the group's effort toward the team project in weekly meetings
C) Recognize an individual's efforts privately with that individual
D) Recognize the group's effort privately with each individual of the team

Question 12

What is the most effective type of organizational culture for an "as seen on TV" product manufacturer to adopt?

A) Clan
B) Adhocracy
C) Hierarchy
D) Market driven

Question 13

What does a low score on the masculinity dimension (as defined by Hofstede)indicate about a culture?

A) There is more assertiveness and competitiveness
B) There is little difference between gender roles
C) There is a vast difference between gender roles
D) A conclusion can't be made without the additional dimensions

Question 14

What do the members of Alpha Inc.'s professional subculture have in common?

A) They work in desk based rather than field based jobs
B) They are all engineers
C) They have the financial success of Alpha as a primary focus
D) They are Alpha's dominant subculture

Question 15

Organization X offers monetary rewards to motivate their employees to work faster and be more productive. Organization Y motivates their employees with a leadership development program, empowerment, and job enrichment. What basic assumption is different for these two organizations?

A) Reality
B) Space
C) Human nature
D) Interpersonal relationships

Question 16

Is it possible for two people working on the same team to have different perceptions of the organization's culture? Why or why not?

Question 17

Which of the following is not a primary subculture found in organizations?

A) Productive
B) Executive
C) Operational
D) Professional

Question 18

Your company encourages innovative ideas, and perseverance in the face of failure, to maintain their status as industry leader. Your company just made a new acquisition and they want to keep doing what their customers expect, delivering on a proven background of experience and tradition. What is the cultural dimension that differs between the organizations?

A) Power distance
B) Individualism vs. collectivism
C) Uncertainty avoidance
D) Time orientation

Question 19

What are the three dimensions of culture?

A) National, organizational, social
B) Organizational, group, individual
C) Artifacts, espoused values, basic assumptions
D) Physical, behavioral, verbal

Question 20

Which of the following is not a cultural artifact?

A) Asking about an organization's culture
B) Graduation ceremony
C) Words and sayings that are unique to the organization
D) Updated and modern decor

Question 21

Ideally, an organization's culture should be linked to an organization's ________.

A) Culture
B) Workforce
C) Strategy
D) Socialization

Question 22

When has an employee adapted to the organization's culture?

A) After orientation
B) Before socialization
C) After 90 days
D) After accepting culture

Question 23

You are considering applying to the Delphi Corp., but you want to be a good cultural fit with the organization. You scour their website and conclude they are a formal professional organization with high expectations. You don't want to work in such a high pressure uptight organization, so you decide to continue your job hunt. How were you able to draw conclusions about Delphi's culture?

A) Studying their espoused values
B) Skyping with the HR manager
C) Examining artifacts on their website
D) Applying the iceberg metaphor for studying their culture

Question 24

Which act of socialization involves telling newcomers about what is important to the organization?

A) Defining what is important
B) Reframing what is important
C) Rewarding and punishing what is important
D) Showing the way

Question 25

What happens when a single subculture dominates in an organization?

A) Majority rules and members of that subculture assume leadership positions
B) The subculture becomes the new overall culture
C) Employees will adapt to the new dynamic
D) The organization's strategy will be influenced by that subculture